Entertainment

Feinstein may go Below for his new nightclub

Ever since Feinstein’s shut down at the Regency, Michael Feinstein has been on the hunt for a new place to tickle his ivories.

I hear he may make a bid on 54 Below, that fine new cabaret and restaurant in the basement of Studio 54.

The joint is run by three veteran Broadway producers — Tom Viertel, Richard Frankel and Steve Baruch.

They declined to comment on the rumor, but a 54 Below source says a deal with Feinstein would make sense. It’s very expensive to run a cabaret, but Feinstein’s loaded — he lives in two adjoining town- houses in Manhattan — and, should he become a partner in the venture, could help share the risk.

He’s also anxious to have his name associated with a New York nightclub.

An elegant room with the whiff of the boudoir about it, 54 Below is a terrific addition to the city’s nightlife — and its cover charge is a reasonable $30 to $40. (You needed a second mortgage to see something at Feinstein’s.) Patti LuPone scored two triumphs there, and I enjoyed Melissa Errico’s act, which, trouper-like, she performed the day after Hurricane Sandy hit.

A bunch of divas are lined up for the spring: Barbara Cook, LaChanze and Bebe Neuwirth. And I’ll be announcing my one-man show — “Michael Riedel and Enemies” — shortly.

I was sorry to hear that the wonderful Robert Hardy left “The Audience” in London.

He was playing Winston Churchill in Peter Morgan’s new play about Queen Elizabeth II and her private meetings with the 12 prime ministers who held office during her reign.

The producers were concerned that Hardy, 87, didn’t have the stamina for eight performances a week. He injured himself at a rehearsal a few weeks ago, and was in a fair amount of pain. He was also a little shaky with his lines, though I’m sure he would have been letter-perfect by opening night. People who saw him in previews said he was an effective Churchill.

Director Stephen Daldry was sad to see Hardy go. “He thought he could protect him,” says a source. “He really admires him.”

Hardy’s been replaced by another fine actor, Edward Fox, whose brother Robert is producing the play. With Helen Mirren as the queen, “The Audience” will open next month with an advance sale of more than $6 million — unheard of for a nonmusical play in the West End.

Mirren wants to reprise the role on Broadway next season.

As one of her friends says, “Helen wants a Tony!”

A Broadway snapshot:

The subway lurches to a stop in Times Square, and I nearly knock over a tiny woman beside me. “Very sorry,” I say — and then notice it’s my old pal Jackie Hoffman!

She says I’m looking fit and trim and very handsome today.

“I’ve just come from my swim,” I say, arching an eyebrow, Roger Moore-like.

“I’ve just come from my MRI,” she deadpans.

“Are you going to an audition?” I ask.

“Are there any auditions anymore?”

Not like the old days, I say, when Times Square was full of actors making the rounds.

“Yes. Now we make the rounds to do podcasts. In fact, I’m off to do yet another free podcast! Bye!”

As readers of this column know, I’m a stickler for accuracy. On those rare occasions when I do make a mistake, I correct it lickety-split.

So here goes: On Wednesday, in a story about Nora Ephron’s new play “Lucky Guy,” I wrote that the woman whom newspaper columnist Mike McAlary accused of making up a rape charge won a large settlement from McAlary and the Daily News.

But, as several ink-stained wretches who remember the Jane Doe rape scandal told me, the case was thrown out. The court ruled that McAlary didn’t libel the woman because he was relying on information — or rather, misinformation — provided by police officials.

By the way, ticket sales for “Lucky Guy” have picked up recently, and Tom Hanks will play his first performance tonight with a little more than $9 million in the bank.